The Colour Between | ONC2026

White.
The colour that haunted her entire life.

Born into a lineage of warriors and witches, she is the Matriarch's only daughter and her greatest disappointment. In a world forged by blood and conquest, her power does not burn or strike. Instead, she sees what others cannot: colours bleeding through the cracks of reality, a spectrum hidden beneath the violence they worship.

They call her weak.
They call her useless.

But power does not always arrive as a weapon.
Sometimes it arrives as perception.
Sometimes it arrives as the space between.

As ancient traditions close in and the weight of expectation sharpens into a blade, she must choose whether to disappear into the white that defines her-or claim the colours that terrify everyone else.

A dark fantasy about inherited violence, quiet rebellion, and the power that exists where no one thinks to look.

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Open Novella Contest 2026

Based on prompts:

2. The first flower to bloom in spring isn't just a sign of the season changing. It's a portal. When you touch it, you're transported into a magical world you never knew existed.

11. The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother.

16. "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul" by John Muir

28. Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will blossom.

63. A forgotten temple appears overnight in the middle of town, but its doors will only open for those who tell lies.